Uniting genres, cultures, and communities through innovative orchestral collaborations
Phil Meadows is a conductor, arranger, and cross-genre project specialist whose work fuses musical innovation with strategic and artistic leadership. Renowned for creating bold, collaborative projects that bring orchestras into new cultural spaces, his award-winning work connects classical ensembles with non-classical music from grime/hip-hop MCs, jazz improvisers, pop icons, electronic artists, and contemporary composers.
He has led major orchestral collaborations with the Metropole Orkest, BBC Concert Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and his own multi-award-winning Engines Orchestra. His performances span iconic venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, The Glasshouse Gateshead, Théâtre Carré Amsterdam, and leading festivals such as EFG London Jazz Festival, Love Supreme, Manchester Jazz Festival, and Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
Phil’s work has been featured across European radio and television including BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Two, NPO, Ziggo TV, Mezzo TV, and CultureBox. Whether reimagining the legacy of Birmingham’s grime scene or mentoring the next generation, Phil’s practice continues to redefine what orchestras can be — creatively, culturally, and socially.
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Musical Innovation with Social Reach
Phil’s collaborations do more than innovate musically - they unite cultural sectors, build bridges between artistic communities, and bring new audiences into the concert hall. Working with Europe’s most respected ensembles, including the Metropole Orkest, BBC Concert Orchestra, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, he creates projects that develop cultural relevance, broaden audience demographics, and challenge genre boundaries - all without compromising musical integrity.
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Research-Led Creative Development
Phil’s methodology is grounded in formal research and shaped by professional practice. His PhD (completing September 2025) explores how orchestral musicians can develop creative skillsets and build the musical and emotional security needed to thrive when engaging in new musical contexts and unfamiliar performance environments. Drawing on music psychology, learning science, and hands-on rehearsal experience, he has developed techniques and toolkits that foster confidence, collaboration, and risk-taking. This positions him uniquely to lead cross-genre, cross-cultural projects that not only support artistic excellence, inclusion, and innovation; but also help orchestras expand their creative capacity and engage new audiences through meaningful collaboration.
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Strategic Vision and Delivery
Beyond his musical leadership, Phil brings a decade of strategic expertise in artist management, brand partnerships, and cultural policy. His experience as a former advisory board member for Help Musicians and a grant assessor for PRS Foundation has equipped him with a deep understanding of what makes projects both fundable and sustainable. Phil’s approach goes beyond professional development for musicians — he helps orchestras shape non-classical programmes that expand their artistic reach, engage new audiences, and build commercial partnerships. This holistic strategy not only supports long-term artistic growth but also strengthens organisational sustainability, ensuring that innovative collaborations become an integral and profitable part of an orchestra’s broader strategy.
BBC Concert Orchestra
Phil has conducted and arranged for the BBC Concert Orchestra in special performances with classic pop icons Texas and Elkie Brooks as part of the BBC Radio 2 Piano Room series. These orchestral collaborations were performed live on BBC Radio 2, and further arrangements were included in separate BBC Two television specials, celebrating the artists' enduring contributions to UK music culture.
Metropole Orkest
Phil has conducted multiple Metropole Orkest projects that brought together some of the Netherlands' most prominent artists, showcasing his versatility across genres. These projects include collaborations for Ziggo TV with Dutch artists MEAU, Kenny B, Jeangu Macrooy, and Latanya Alberto, as well as a celebration of 15 years of 101Barz (the country's leading hip-hop platform), featuring some of the biggest names in the Dutch rap scene for NPO. Phil's arrangements have also spanned a diverse range of genres, including collaborations with trance artist Sefa, chart-topping pop artist MEAU, and renowned singer René Froger for the Amsterdam 750 Anniversary celebrations.
Engines Orchestra
As the founder and Artistic Director of the Engines Orchestra, Phil Meadows leads an innovative ensemble that bridges classical, jazz, world, and folk music. The orchestra has collaborated with top artists like Ingrid Jensen, Phronesis, Femi Temowo, and Belle Chen, with performances featured on BBC Radio 3, Mezzo TV, and CultureBox. In 2015, the orchestra was awarded the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Ensemble of the Year, cementing its reputation for artistic excellence. Composed by Phil, its debut album, Lifecycles, received critical acclaim for its boundary-pushing approach to orchestral music. Phil continues to lead the orchestra in creating dynamic, genre-blurring projects that push musical innovation and engage new audiences.
Phil played a key role in every stage of the project’s creative and strategic development, from shaping the musical narrative and orchestrations to advising on staging, production and rehearsal approaches that fostered trust and artistic confidence between the rappers and orchestral musicians. The show premiered at Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Royal Festival Hall (London), with a clear ambition: to authentically connect orchestras with contemporary culture and open up iconic venues to new communities.
In addition to leading the musical direction, Phil designed and led a mentoring programme for early-career arrangers, in partnership with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, supporting the next generation of cross-genre orchestral creators and further strengthening Birmingham’s cultural ecosystem.
Project Spotlight: LEGACY
‘This monumental moment wasn’t just a concert. It was a cultural reset - an electrifying, emotional and at times spiritual experience.’ - CGuk (click for full review)
LEGACY is a landmark collaboration between the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and Punch Records, created to spotlight Birmingham’s influential grime, hip-hop, and rap scene. Arranged and conducted by Phil Meadows, the project was designed to unite and celebrate the city’s broad and diverse cultural sector — showcasing the voices, stories, and artistry that make Birmingham musically distinctive.
Featuring 18 MCs (including Birmingham legends Jaykae, Mist, and Lady Leshurr) the concert builds on Daniel Alexander’s LEGACY documentary, tracing the scene’s journey from pirate radio to mainstream commercial success. Reimagined through an orchestral lens, the project breaks down barriers between classical and Black British musical cultures, forging new artistic pathways and bringing fresh audiences into the concert hall.